UniversityThomas Rausch Named Senior Professor Distinctus
14 June 2019
Honorary title conferred for his service to the university
For his service to Heidelberg University, in particular his outstanding dedication to the strategic advancement of the university’s profile in research and transfer, Prof. Dr Thomas Rausch has been appointed Senior Professor distinctus of Ruperto Carola. “At the intersection of science and society, Thomas Rausch championed the transfer of knowledge and dialogue with the public in many ways”, stresses the Rector of the university, Prof. Dr Bernhard Eitel, who also praises the researcher’s contributions in conceiving and implementing initiatives associated with the Excellence Competition. Prof. Rausch is the long-time head of a research group at the Centre for Organismal Studies and one of the two directors of the Marsilius Kolleg.
Thomas Rausch (born 1953) studied biology and chemistry at the University of Frankfurt, where he earned his doctorate with a dissertation in the field of botany and continued on as a postdoctoral researcher. After a 1988/1989 research sojourn at the University of California in Santa Cruz (USA), he returned to Frankfurt and habilitated in 1990. He subsequently directed a research group at the Institute of Botany there before accepting an appointment to Heidelberg University in 1994. At the Centre for Organismal Studies, Prof. Rausch researches the molecular physiology of plants.
The Marsilius Kolleg is a central component of the “Institutional Strategy” of Heidelberg University supported within the Excellence Initiative. The Kolleg brings together researchers from various academic cultures, addresses social issues in Marsilius projects, and seeks out dialogue with members of the public through forums such as the “Marsilius kontrovers” lecture series. Thomas Rausch is also spokesperson of the Research Council that coordinates the work of the “Molecular and Cellular Basis of Life” Field of Focus – one of the university’s four interdisciplinary fields of research. The researcher made a lasting commitment to the Heidelberg Karlsruhe Strategic Partnership (HEiKA), the strategic alliance between Ruperto Carola and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and served in the university management as Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer from 2010 to 2013.
Ruperto Carola confers the title Senior Professor distinctus to eminent researchers and academic teachers who have also rendered outstanding service through their dedication to the university as a whole. The honorary title is conferred for life.